Income support
NARROWER TERMS
Report
“It’s hell”: how inadequate income support is causing harm
The surging cost of living is having a devastating impact for people on income support, according to this report by ACOSS. Researchers surveyed 365 people living on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance and Parenting Payment over February and March 2023, finding income support payments are completely inadequate.
Report
Income support receipt for young people transitioning from out–of–home care 2022
The findings in this study have highlighted that the out-of-home care study population are in need of income support for longer or are repeatedly moving in and out of income support into their late 20’s, suggesting they are at increased risk of not being able...
Report
'Can't afford to live': The impact of the rising cost of living on Victorians and Tasmanians on low incomes
This report provides evidence that the rising cost of living is deepening financial, housing and food insecurity, and impacting mental and physical health, while also increasing social isolation.
Report
How JobSeeker and other income support payments are falling behind the cost of living
The findings of this report highlight the urgent need to increase base rates of income support to at least $70 a day to ensure that people on the lowest incomes are not left behind. ACOSS urges the federal government to lift incomes in the October...
Working paper
Changes to Australian income support settings during the COVID-19 pandemic
This paper summarises the major changes made to unemployment, student and parenting transfer payments over 2020 and early 2021 in Australia in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report
Covid, inequality and poverty in 2020 and 2021
This report is the third in the ACOSS and UNSW Sydney Poverty and Inequality Partnership’s COVID-19 'Build Back Fairer Series'. It tells a tale of the differing impacts of the pandemic for different groups using evidence on income inequality and poverty in Australia.
Policy report
Australian COVID-19 policy responses: a health equity report card
This report assesses the health equity implications of federal, state and territory government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic across housing, employment and income support.
Report
Australia and NZ tax credits for children. A 5-year comparison: 1 July 2018 – 1 July 2023
This document provides a comparison of the Australian and New Zealand family tax credits.
Report
No fighting chance: impact of the withdrawal of COVID-19 income and tenancy benefits
This research sought to hear directly from consumers at Uniting Vic.Tas emergency relief and homelessness entry points about the impact of the withdrawal of COVID-19 payments and benefits on them and their families and children. The findings of this report supports numerous other studies in...
Report
Australian income support since 2000: those left behind
This report is the second in the ACOSS and UNSW 'Build Back Fairer' Series. The report analyses the changes to key income support payments from 2000 to 2021. It provides a comparison of the changes to income support highlighting who has been left behind. Its...
Policy report
Insights from the first six months of JobKeeper
This report presents the Australian Treasury's analysis on the first six months of the JobKeeper Payment (to 27 September 2020), reflecting on the design and initial impacts of JobKeeper as a key element of the federal government’s macroeconomic response to COVID-19.
Report
Designing paid and protected employment leaves for short-term sickness and caregiving
This paper proposes six principles — universality, sufficiency, fairness, security, flexibility and efficiency — to guide the development of legislative and policy reforms for Canada’s income-support programs and job-protection laws for sickness and caregiving leave entitlements.
Report
COVID income support: analysis of income support in the COVID lockdowns in 2020 and 2021
This report analyses a range of interactive maps, prepared to provide the first geographic snapshot of people on income support payments who also received COVID-specific income support payments across the country in the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, the 'Alpha' wave.
Report
Income support receipt for young people transitioning from out-of-home care
Reliable national data on outcomes and broader service use of young people who have been in out-of-home care as they transition out of care and into independence is currently lacking. This national report aims to build the evidence-base on transition outcomes by bringing together Australian...
Fact sheet
Fact Check: Scott Morrison says the unemployment benefit is at the same level that prevailed during the Howard era. Is he correct?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed that a $50 fortnightly increase to the unemployment benefit would take the payment, when expressed as a proportion of the minimum wage, back to where it sat during the period of the Howard Government. He said this would bring the...
Report
Ensuring adequate indexation of Working for Families
Working for Families (WFF) is the primary income support mechanism for children in New Zealand. In this paper, the authors make recommendations for the anticipated WFF government reform.
Report
What happened to people who left the benefit system during the year ended 30 June 2019
This report examines employment and other outcomes for people in the 12 months after they stopped receiving social welfare income support.
Fact sheet
Fact Check: Josh Frydenberg says welfare dependency was at a 30-year low heading into the pandemic. Is that correct?
The Coalition Government has reassured Australians that the nation is well placed to emerge strongly from the coronavirus crisis in large part because of its handling of the economy in the years leading up to the pandemic. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg recently pointed to the Government's...
Working paper
Can disability benefits promote (re)employment? Considerations for effective disability benefit design
This paper focuses on income support and its impact on work incentives for persons with disability. More specifically, it looks at key issues and policy choices that arise when designing such income support programmes.
Discussion paper
How many jobs did JobKeeper keep?
In response to the sharp fall in economic activity in the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Australian government announced a series of measures to support incomes and employment. The largest was the JobKeeper payment - a wage subsidy to help keep employees and...
Working paper
How does monetary policy affect welfare?
The present paper addresses the question of how to estimate a social welfare function defined over inflation and unemployment that can help inform the policy decisions of central banks by providing a way to measure the well-being costs arising from macroeconomic fluctuations.
Briefing paper
Liveable income guarantee
The paper examines possible eligibility requirements of a Liveable Income Guarantee (LIG), suggestions of additional payments to complement the payment, as well as an outline of budgetary costs and how financing could work.
Report
Young people and housing supports in Australia: income support, social housing and post-homelessness housing outcomes
This paper reviews the dual system of housing support in Australia available to young people exiting the Specialist Homelessness Service (SHS) system.
Report
The JobKeeper payment: three-month review
This review was informed by Treasury’s regular engagement with the business community and general public on JobKeeper policy and program implementation, the departments and agencies across government that are involved in aspects of JobKeeper service delivery, academic experts and officials in other national ministries.
Media release
Helping multicultural Victorians through coronavirus
The Victorian Government is supporting multicultural and multifaith families to ensure they stay connected to their communities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Initiative: Income support for multicultural Victorians